Editor’s note: Veteran entrepreneur and investor Donald Thompson is a regular contributor to WRAL TechWire. His columns appear on Wednesdays.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – In last week’s column, I urged you, as leaders, to speak up about societal issues like the Derek Chauvin verdict, Georgia voting laws and AAPI hate —  to focus on progress over perfection. Talk authentically about what you’re trying to learn, how you’re improving and where you are in your personal development journey, not just regarding diversity issues but also sustainability, modern leadership and more. This week, let’s talk more about trust and how speaking up will help you earn it. 

Being vulnerable and transparent helps you establish a foundation of trust for better business outcomes. Trust is how we build a culture of inclusion, motivate employees to contribute their best work and create an authentic space to have real conversations and learn about each other. Trust makes people feel seen, heard and respected. 

If you’re a startup founder who’s building a new brand, gaining trust from your employees, consumers and investors will make a critical difference in your ability to scale. Or, if you’re an established leader in an already-successful business, trust will help you more gracefully navigate difficult situations in the future. No matter your industry or role, the ability to communicate authentically —  and be believed —  affects how productive you and your team can be. The bottom line is, if you don’t have trust, if you’re not building and expanding your credibility, you can only take your company so far. Here are my best tips for earning it. 

Globally, trust is low, especially online

People’s trust in government, media, nonprofits and business is at an all-time low. In fact, recent reporting shows that we’re dealing with “an epidemic of misinformation and widespread mistrust of societal institutions and leaders around the world.” And it’s easy to see why, because people have been legitimately lied to, tricked and misled by the media, by marketing and by national leaders. 

That we are now consuming most of our information through the internet also makes a tremendous impact because we are primarily interacting with digital tools, not human beings. In their call to marketers for ethical advertising, Microsoft explains it this way: “consumers are not readily trusting of the digital environment, making it even more critical for brands to focus on building trust with their consumers.”

The digital environment has become so polarized, cluttered and noisy that all of us are caught in a swirl of information and trying to figure out what’s real or fake. So, instead of people listening and trusting each other, and building that powerful future together with authenticity, there’s a natural inclination to ask “Is this person lying to me? Is this brand manipulating me?” As leaders, it’s our responsibility to figure out how we can cut through the noise and build more trust.

To earn it, lead with facts

Practice good “information hygiene” by being careful and intentional about what you put into the world. Leverage multiple third-party points of view so you can make a better assessment than if you simply relied on one single point of information. Use reputable sources like colleges, universities and major news outlets to fact-check what you’re learning before you speak up or re-share it, and consider what you should not say as well. Yes, it’s important that you lend your voice to social issues, but you don’t have to comment on every single event.

When you want to speak up but you don’t know what you think yet, it’s ok to say something like “You know, I understand the racial inequity that’s going on in our country, but I don’t understand it well enough to have an informed point of view just yet. What I’m doing, and what I’ve asked my team to do, is to listen and engage with people from underserved communities so that we can learn more and become better.” Admitting where you are in your personal journey is always better than staying silent because it helps to build credibility over time, whereas silence can lead to lost trust through inaction.

Speak and act with empathy

Empathetic leaders build cultures of trust and encourage a sense of belonging by relying on their own authenticity, empathy and compassion. They build personal brands of vulnerability and humility by acknowledging their own mistakes and admitting what they don’t yet know. Check in with your team, ask questions, and listen to really understand, not just to move your own agenda forward. 

In “Agile Leadership for a Digital World,” Melissa Henley encourages executives to practice empathy for better business results. She writes that “reaching out, being authentic, encouraging transparency — those are all ways to help your team members feel psychologically safe.” And psychological safety, we know now, is imperative for trust, personal growth and high-performing teams. 

Build a personal brand that’s authentic and consistent

Document what you believe so that people can measure your daily behavior against those statements. This is where your mission, vision and value statements give you a solid stake in the ground. What is your purpose? What qualities do you value? What are you working toward, both personally and professionally? Put those statements out into the world, then make sure your statements and behaviors begin to line up over time. 

I’ll use my own personal journey for example. Two decades ago, I was more command-and-control than empathetic leader, but I’ve always worked to remain open to quality feedback and constructive criticism. Sometimes I mess things up, or I say something that doesn’t land like I intended it, but I try to be more and more consistent with my words, with the way I build a business or an organization, the way I lead, the way I coach and mentor. My growth mindset and willingness to learn stretches across my organizations, podcasts, publications and how I treat people. 

That doesn’t mean I don’t have areas to improve, but I know I can develop some level of credibility and reputation based on the consistency of my behavior over time. I know that people are more willing to forgive me if I am willing to admit my mistakes. Building your authentic brand as a leader allows people within your organization — and people who are maybe going to work for you in the future — to research your credibility and see you as a whole person, not just a one-dimensional character. 

Trust can be rebuilt

I won’t profess to have the answers for every leader and every institution. What I will say is that trust can be rebuilt, but it’s a slow process and you have to be deliberate. If you’re facing a loss of trust, own your mistakes, commit to change and make a real game plan to regain it over time. Again, I’ll use my personal example. Early in my career, when I was more of a top-down leader, I lost some good employees along the way.

To rebuild my brand, I had to take personal responsibility for being better. I had to admit there was a better way of communicating than the way that I was doing it, and then I had to dedicate myself to real change: not only in terms of my words and statements but also in terms of real behavior that people could see and feel in my leadership. I had to demonstrate behavior change over time. And I am so appreciative that as I’ve grown, in all the companies I now work with, I have people who trust me enough to give me clear feedback when I need to improve. 

What I’ve learned along the way is that brand is growth, whether that means my growth as a leader or the growth of my businesses in the market, and trust is a critical component in my ability to grow. That doesn’t mean that somewhere along the path, I’m not going to make a mistake. What it means is that I won’t consistently mess up, and when I do, I’ll course-correct; I’ll try to be better.

When you focus on progress over perfection, what you’ll find is that your vulnerability helps you build credibility as well. And if you do a little bit every day then, over time, you’ll get better and stronger. You’ll get a little bit more courageous to face those moments when you have to take a risk and do the right thing even though it’s hard. In other words, you’ll not only earn the trust of others but also learn to trust yourself.  

About the Author

Donald Thompson is an entrepreneur, public speaker, author, podcaster, and executive coach, recently named one of Forbes’ Next 1000: Upstart Entrepreneurs Redefining the American Dream. He is currently the CEO of Walk West, an award-winning digital marketing firm, and co-founder and CEO of The Diversity Movement, a technology-driven diversity, equity and inclusion consultancy. He is also a board member for several organizations in healthcare, banking, technology, marketing, and sports, a Certified Diversity Executive (CDE), and a thought leader on goal achievement and influencing company culture. Connect with Donald on LinkedIn and hear more advice on empathetic leadership by tuning in to The Donald Thompson Podcast.